A simple pheasant hunt

DWR recommends upland game changes

If you're already familiar with the rules that govern upland game hunting in Utah, you shouldn't have to learn much new this fall. Division of Wildlife Resources biologists are proposing rules for Utah's 2017, 2018 and 2019 hunts that are almost identical to rules that have governed upland game hunting in Utah since 2014.

Dates for Utah's pheasant hunt might be easier to remember this fall.

Photo by Mike Christensen

They are recommending a few minor changes, though. The changes include the following:

Holding a single statewide general pheasant hunt. The hunt would start on the first Saturday in November and end on the first Sunday in December. The hunt would be open on both public and private land.

In the past, a chance to hunt for 30 days was available only on public land. The hunt on private land ended after 14 days.

The conservation group Pheasants Forever brought the idea to the DWR. "We like the idea," says DWR Upland Game Coordinator Jason Robinson. "The change would make it easier to know when the hunt begins and ends. Anything we can do, to make hunting rules easier to understand—while ensuring wildlife remain protected—is a good thing.

"Also, the change would give those, who have written permission to hunt on private property, more days to hunt."

Close the Pahvant and Annabella Wildlife Management Areas on Nov. 11, 2017 to everyone except those 17 years of age or younger and adult hunters who have never hunted pheasants before.

The DWR and Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife want to hold a special pheasant hunt on the WMAs that day. "We want to give young hunters, and adults who have never hunted pheasants before, a chance to get out and have a great experience," Robinson says. "Recruiting new hunters is vital to the future of wildlife conservation in Utah."

Move the sandhill crane hunt in Uintah County from September to October.

October is the month in the fall when sandhill crane numbers reach their peak in the county.

Learn more, share your ideas

All of the ideas biologists will share are available online. After you've reviewed the ideas, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.

RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on June 1 to approve upland game hunting rules for the next three seasons in Utah.